Saying that No. 15 seed UAlbany (24-10) is a longshot to upset No. 2 seed Duke (27-5) would be a massive understatement. The game, being played at the Wells-Fargo Center, may be seen on CBS, at 12:15 p.m. ET

"We don't have any pressure on us," Iati said. "No one in the country expects us to win, or even make it a game, so that makes it easy to relax and play loose."

The Great Danes have never won a tournament game, losing in the first round in 2006 & 2007.

UAlbany is making just its third appearance on this stage, but don't let that fool you into thinking that the players are satisfied just to be here.

"It's been a great experience and something we'll never forget," said senior Mike Black. "We're not just happy to be here. We didn't just come here for the party and celebration, we came here to win."

Duke has been here many times before, as it has been a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in 15 of the last 17 tournaments. The Blue Devils finished the season with the No. 1 RPI ranking and the No. 1 strength of schedule. Presumably the only reason they are just a No. 2 seed is because senior Ryan Kelly (14.3 ppg) missed 13 games and the team went 9-4.

"I think they're the best team in the country, as long as Kelly is healthy, because they can score from every position," said UAlbany coach Will Brown.

All five Duke starters average at least 11.5 points per game and each of their players has a height advantage over the UAlbany starters.

"Size really doesn't matter," Black said. "The only thing that matters is your heart and how good you are."

The Blue Devils are fighting some demons of their own, after losing in this round last season, in a huge upset against Lehigh.

"Our team's motivation is something bigger than the way last season ended," said senior forward Mason Plumlee.

People may be saying the pressure is on Duke to atone for last year's tournament disappointment, but that's not how their players see it.

"From the outside looking in there may be, but honestly, we feel no pressure," Plumlee said. "We're going to play loose, we're going to take our shots and we feel confident."

The Blue Devils know they must bring a good effort to advance.

"We know (UAlbany's) a championship-level team," Kelly said. "They won their conference tournament and we know they have great depth at the guard position."

Duke is 13-0 against teams from outside of the Atlantic Coast Conference and they are certainly the heavy favorite this afternoon.

"If we play harder and we hit our shots, then we'll have a chance to beat them, but we respect them," said coach Mike Krzyzewski. "They're not here because they won on flukes - they've won close games and their kids responded under pressure in late-game situations."

The Great Danes are playing their best basketball recently, but this will take a monumental effort to even be in this game at the end, let alone come away with a win.

"None of their kids were recruited by Albany," Brown said. "None of my kids were recruited by Duke and on paper, it's a huge mismatch. But funny things have happened."